Happy Friday! With only two weeks left until Halloween, and winter lingering somewhere around the corner, the north country has a few last fair weather hurrahs in store for us this weekend. If you’ve already had enough of the cool weather for the season (it’s OK to admit it – we already miss summer too!), we’ve got a handful of indoor happenings as well! There’s something for everyone this weekend. And don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the page and take a look at the map of what’s going on! Check it out… [Read more...]

Screenwriter from Ellisburg hopes to set career in motion [Read more...]

Chelsea A. Bango walkson the treadmill at her Watertown apartment complex. Ms. Bango has recently become involved with 5k races as a result of her participation in the 12-week American Heart Association north country BetterU campaign. Amanda Morrison / NNY Living

North country women commit to heart health, see results [Read more...]

Thelma L. Hamilton of Watertown is a maker of painted ornaments who does about 20 percent of her business on Etsy, the online craft sales site. Justin Sorensen / Watertown Daily Times

Etsy, the handmade and vintage e-commerce site that has nearly a million sellers of everything from wool scarves to soap, has struggled with its identity as a mecca for small-scale artisans for its nearly decade-long existence. The struggle was captured in a terms of a service policy that grew to 14,000 words in an attempt to enumerate all of the gray areas in what qualified as “handmade.” Then, in September, Etsy changed its guidelines, allowing sellers to hire help for production or shipping, and even to forge partnerships with manufacturers.

The change has generated some anxiety among artisans who want to preserve the site’s small-scale, human-driven provenance and raised fears that larger sellers would infiltrate, taking a cut of these crafters’ livelihood.

But many sellers, including a number of north country merchants, believe the changes will help creative businesses grow and will perhaps change little about the site, which is expected to exceed $1 billion in total annual transactions this year.

“I think if it’s handmade it’s not going to be an issue,” said Thelma L. Hamilton, who has been hand-crafting holiday ornaments from her Watertown home for more than 20 years. “We’re already competing with worldwide merchants.” [Read more...]

Comedian Rob Schneider kicks off the summer season at the Clayton Opera House on June 20. Photo courtesy Neil Visel Photography.

CLAYTON — When officials at the Thousand Islands Performing Arts Fund were planning the summer 2013 season for the Clayton Opera House, some good-natured debate broke out.

“Each year, the shows seem to be getting bigger with more national names,” said TIPAF Executive Director Joseph M. Gleason. “There was some debate whether we wanted to continue that or stick with smaller shows and more of them.”

CLAYTON — Joseph M. Gleason has found his stride again as theater manager.

You could see it in the swift way he moved from his third floor office to the first floor stage of the Clayton Opera House on the morning of March 8 as he and a crew prepared for the first show of the spring season. Questions were answered and directions given. Within the hour, students in grades 3 to 5 from three schools were to burst through the doors for Garry Krinsky’s “Toying With Science” matinee. [Read more...]

New St. Lawrence County Arts Council director ready for challenge with a ‘world of experience’ behind her

Rebekah Wilkins-Pepiton, new executive director of the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. Photo courtesy of the Arts Council.

Colorado, Texas, Idaho, Alaska, New York and China: Rebekah L. Wilkins-Pepiton has seen them all.

Although she’s been across the United States and the globe, Ms. Wilkins-Pepiton has most recently settled in as a St. Lawrence County resident. She brings her worldly travels and all of the experiences that go with them to her new post as executive director of the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.

“It’s been great, the community here has been incredibly welcoming; it’s probably the most welcoming place I’ve ever lived,” she said. “My perspective is a bit skewed, because I was just in Southern China.” [Read more...]

Michael C. Miller, North Country Arts Council president, and Patricia I. Tague look over plans for the Enchanted Gardens arts gala and family day at Thompson Park in the summer of 2011. Photo by Amanda Morrison/Watertown Daily Times.

The North Country Arts Council is only six months and $50,000 away from the construction phase of the Screen on the Square.

The multipurpose facility will bring independent films and local theater to downtown Watertown. It is the biggest project for the council, which is busy preparing for several initiatives this year. [Read more...]